#findaustinandperry

[soakupthesun1]

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"There is a saying in Tibetan, 'Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.' No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our hope, that's our real disaster." —Dalai Lama XIV ⚓️ #boatparade #findaustinandperry #saltlife #jupiterfl (at Jupiter Inlet)

[porcelain]

There seems to be a massive misconception as to why or how parents would let two 14 year old boys go fishing by themselves out in the ocean. What most of the nation doesn’t understand, is that we who were raised in Jupiter Florida, grew up in the ocean. Most of us had our boating license before our drivers license (as did I) and every child here in Jupiter knows the ocean like the back of our hand. These two boys, although young in age, had more experience and knowledge on boating than most adults do, and it’s unfair for people to immediately start blaming Austin, Perry, or their parents for letting their sons fish for the day. Nobody can predict a disaster like this, and nobody has the right to further interrogate these poor parents who just want to find their boys. The realistic part of me knows they have a slim chance of survival at this point. The Jupiter native part of me wants to believe that they’re still alive. Please donate to help find Austin and Perry. 

[the-unnatural-disaster]

On one hand, it's sad two boys are gone forever because their parents did not exert discipline or boundaries on them and blindly trusted them to be "seasoned" enough at 14 to know not to go out into open water with an ill-equipped boat with a squall coming. And after they'd pulled stunts like that before. On the other, everyone better give the next poor kids or any kids of color the same attention and donations you're giving these rich white boys. Would we have Joe Namath, John Travolta, and state representatives on the case if they were Latino kids? A Seminole kid? Would you donate to a family of color who needed the private search money more than these families worth more than 250 million dollars? How about the other missing person? The 58 year old paddle boarder who also disappeared? Where's his gofundme? Where's his press coverage? Where's his vigil? I hope, despite everything against them, that the boys are alive, but I fully blame the parents. Fully. 100%. And the next kid who goes missing better get just as much press, no matter the skin color or socioeconomic status of his parents.